Why co-ops are cool

When a dissenting splinter group of the decorating committee at Tom Needham's co-operative housing building approached him recently, things got a little awkward. At the last co-op gathering, where discussion ranged from new tiles for the lobby to some highly controversial planters, the alternative decor group emerged with a plan to overthrow the plans of the primary decor committee. "One woman told me I had to come out to their meeting, but I wasn't interested in joining her little rebel decorating faction," Mr. Needham says.

Mr. Needham and his wife, Bev Coneybeare, moved into their 200-unit co-op in the St. Lawrence neighbourhood of Toronto as empty nesters, looking to downsize from a larger family home and to embed themselves in a broader community. Ms. Coneybeare and Mr. Needham attend about four co-op meetings a year, and on top of that are the volunteer commitments. Co-op members have varying duties, from serving on an executive board and any number of committees to gardening and administrative work.

Living in a co-op is halfway between renting and owning -- for better or worse. Members pay a "housing charge" instead of rent, and there's no landlord. The co-op is owned by the members, which means that everyone who lives in the co-op-- whether it's five people or 500 -- gets a vote and a voice when the halls need to be painted or new bike storage is proposed. In bigger co-ops, such as Mr. Needham and Ms. Coneybeare's, full-time staff is often hired to take care of essentials, from maintenance to bookkeeping. Emergency repairs are dealt with swiftly, but elective requests are placed in a queue and are up for debate. The housing charge paid by members goes to pay down the mortgage and maintain the building, but members exit without the equity built through private home ownership.

Collective living isn't always seamless. There are meetings and voting sessions, raised voices and additional chores, and the irritations of consensus-building with the people who live next door can grate on nerves. But for many, it's a welcome departure from the detached anonymity that characterizes most rental buildings in the city, where eyes are averted in the elevator, doors remain firmly shut, and the landlord has the last say on pretty much every matter.

Like a family with a chore wheel stuck to the fridge, everyone who lives in the co-op is expected to contribute. Mr. Needham sorts his building's recycling once a week, and Ms. Coneybeare helps organize the building's library. Rohanna Green, who lives in a small co-op near Toronto's Kensington Market, has taken on the role of treasurer for her collective of 10 people. "The responsibilities are pretty unevenly distributed," acknowledges Ms. Green. She has to organize the audit, come up with a $50,000 budget and keep a record of expenses. "There are sometimes conflicts with people accusing other people of not doing their parts, and there are personalities that clash," she says.

Daveed Goldman, who lives in a small co-op with his girlfriend, acknowledges the additional responsibilities and irritations that come with being your own landlord. If the fridge breaks down or the roof starts leaking, Mr. Goldman is responsible for seeking out repairs and getting quotes to find the most reasonable service, and then petitioning for reimbursement from the co-op. When the front lawn needs to be mowed or the eavestroughs fill with leaves, the co-op members must decide among themselves who will tackle the problem. Meetings can be a chore. "In order to make any kind of decision you have to get a bunch of people to agree," Mr. Green says. "People [work at different times] so it's hard to get everyone together. But once we do, we can usually talk things through."

Ms. Coneybeare says she has long supported the idea of everyone rolling up their sleeves to find the most affordable, mutually beneficial solution. "I have [always] looked for ways for people to work together," she says. "When my kids were little, I joined a babysitting co-op, which meant that the mums and dads babysat for each other and no money was ever exchanged. You get a more involved community and a better end result."

For Barbara C., who has lived in her large downtown Toronto co-op for 26 years, it's the daily interactions that make collective living worthwhile. "The last time I lived in an apartment, I would either be inside of my apartment or outside the building; there was no real other modes of interaction," she says. "Here, I'm always in contact with my neighbours, and I have much stronger relationships with the people I live next to than I would in a rental building."

Of course, the expectation of working together can have its pitfalls. Not everyone fits the profile of ideal co-op member, someone who is willing to lend a helping hand and elevate the interests of the collective. "There are people in our co-op, I don't know why they're here because every time we talk about doing things for the mutual good, they're not interested," Ms. Coneybeare says. "They're just interested in keeping their rent as low as possible."

And, for the most part, co-op housing charges do indeed stay below market value. Most of the city's coops were built with a mandate to provide affordable housing for low-income individuals and families. About 20% of the units in Mr. Needham and Ms. Coneybeare's building are subsidized based on need. Mr. Goldman says that his co-op negotiates housing charge increases based on what members can reasonably pay. They also have more latitude when it comes to compassion. "If someone explains that they're having financial problems and can't pay their rent for a couple of months, we can offer rent relief -- something a landlord wouldn't do," he says.

And many members, including Mr. Needham, like the opportunity to contribute and to talk things through when it comes to their home. "It's a happy medium between renting something and having no say, and owning something and having to carry all of the burden," he says. Mr. Goldman, who wasn't particularly interested in collective living before he moved into his co-op, says that he's been sold on the community aspect. "Even if I could move into regular apartment for same rent, I probably wouldn't," he says. "I like not having a landlord, and I like the idea that we're a team. Sometimes it's annoying, but [mostly] it's a nice little system that works."

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